Bhanu Sobhani kept buying tickets on every trip despite his wife calling it a waste — five years later, the textile businessman has won $1 million.
Bhanu Sobhani had almost forgotten that Wednesday was draw day when his phone rang at around 11.30am.
“I got a call at 11.30am today and this guy said he was from the Dubai Duty Free,” the 40-year-old Indian expat told. “I thought maybe he was calling to tell me about some promotion on raffle tickets.”
Instead, the caller asked Sobhani to confirm his ticket details. He had purchased two tickets on September 2 while travelling to Poland on business — one for the Millennium Millionaire draw and another for a Range Rover.
“He asked me the ticket number, and I started thinking something surprising might happen,” he said. “Then he asked, what do you want today — money or car? I told him both. He laughed and then told me that I had won the millionaire draw.”
Sobhani said he initially struggled to believe the news and even pinched himself to make sure it was real.
“The caller asked me to check the DDF Facebook page,” he said. “I checked and saw it. That is when I finally believed it.”
‘She started crying’
The first person Sobhani called after learning about his win was his mother.
“She started crying,” he said.
He then shared the news with his wife, who he admitted had questioned his spending on raffle tickets over the years.
“Every year she would ask me why I was wasting money on the draw,” he said. “I told her, this is investment.”
For Sobhani, the reasoning behind continuing to participate was straightforward.
“In 5,000 people, there is one person who will win the draw every time,” he said. “So why can’t this one person be me?”
Sobhani has been participating in Dubai Duty Free promotions since 2021, purchasing an average of five to 10 tickets a year whenever he travels. His winning ticket, number 0489 in Millennium Millionaire Series 557, was bought at Concourse B on September 2 as he travelled to Poland.
He said there is no special meaning behind the numbers he chooses.
“I am usually late, so I just quickly scan the numbers and pick the ones that look good to me,” he said.
Sobhani has lived in Dubai for 10 years and runs a textile and garment factory in Bur Dubai. He lives with his wife, mother and two daughters, aged 13 and six. His father passed away in December last year.
When he broke the news of his win to his daughters, his youngest immediately made a claim on the prize.
“She said, 50 per cent belongs to me,” he laughed. “I told her 100 per cent is for you.”
Investing in Dubai
Sobhani already owns four villas in Dubai and plans to use his winnings for fixed deposits, other investments and potentially another property if the right opportunity arises.
He also intends to donate a portion of the prize to charity, including supporting a temple in India.
“We have a temple in India. Every year they need money, and a lot of people don’t help. I am thinking of helping them. God has given us, so why should we not open our doors also?”
And despite finally securing the $1 million prize after years of participating, Sobhani has no plans to stop buying tickets.
“Of course I will buy,” he said.
Sobhani is the 283rd Indian national to win $1 million (Dh3,672,500) through the Millennium Millionaire promotion since it began in 1999. Indian nationals also remain the largest group of ticket buyers.
